Mandera youth urged to take up digital employment

Mandera North Deputy County Commissioner Justin Maina (right) with a youth representative Abdirashid Alio Mohamed during a youth engagement workshop on digital, peacebuilding and climate resilience skills organised by ERGO International Peace Initiative at Racida Hall in Rhamu Town, Mandera County./HANDOUT

Mandera North Deputy County Commissioner Justin Maina has urged the youth to take up opportunities provided by digital space to gain employment.

Speaking during a youth training workshop organised by ERGO International Peace Initiative (EIPI), the DCC said that digital space is the best alternative place for young people to earn a living rather than depending on formal employment.

“It is not necessary that you are employed in an office and get a payslip to earn a living. That kind of thinking is now gone; you only need digital skills to be able to make money. With digital skills you can depend on yourself and go places,” said Maina.

The workshop was part of a Digital Peace and Climate Resilience Academy project set to equip 200 youths in Mandera with digital, peacebuilding, and climate resilience skills. It is implemented by EIPI through support from the European Union under the EU’s Youth Action Lab Programme.

Mandera North Deputy County Commissioner Justin Maina addressing youths during a youth engagement workshop on digital, peacebuilding and climate resilience skills organised by ERGO International Peace Initiative at Racida Hall in Rhamu Town, Mandera County./HANDOUT

“Youths have a very big role to play in peacebuilding and climate resilience interventions. They know the challenges and what needs to be done to overcome them. What we want is for the young people to take up the initiative and provide a solution for the next generation,” said Maina.

EIPI’s Executive Director Imran Mohamed said it is time for the community youth to take charge of their destiny and create digital peace and climate resilience intervention systems that work for them.

He said that through a blended approach of digital skills, community peace initiatives and climate resilience interventions, the youths would be able to initiate youth-led micro-projects and digital storytelling, which will help reduce climate-related conflicts in the region.

“Our aim is to train 200 youths through a mix of learning strategies to address intersectional challenges by supporting pastoralist youth, young women, and conflict-affected youth to tackle barriers of gender, marginalisation, digital exclusion, and climate-induced conflict,” said Mohamed.

ERGO International Peace Initiative Executive Director Imran Mohamed addressing youths at Racida Hall in Rhamu Town, Mandera County during a youth engagement workshop on digital, peacebuilding and climate resilience skills./HANDOUT

During the function, over 130 youths from Mandera North took part in the co-creation workshop in which they shared their ideas and opinions on the challenges and local solutions to improve their livelihoods.

According to EIPI, the information collected from the participants will help develop the training curriculum in which the youths shall be enrolled in four cohorts of 50 each and undergo intensive training on digital skills, peacebuilding and climate-resilient agriculture in the arid region.

“The training will include information provided by the youths since we didn’t want to develop a curriculum which does not take local perspectives and dynamics into perspective. We want it to be wholly owned by the community,” said Mohamed.

He added that at the end of the project, the organisation aims to establish ten community peace and climate labs, implement 20 youth-led micro-projects, and create a digital knowledge-sharing platform for the young people.